Battle of Mars (2163)
The Battle of Mars was a major engagement of the Interplanetary Conflict and a key event in the formation of the United Nations Space Command. The performance of the first human space cruiser and the devastating results of the offensive orbital insertion, both never before seen, irrevocably changed human warfare forever. The battle fleet of the United Nations Space Authority engaged the Koslovic Second Fleet near Mars on December 6, 2163, successfully destroying a quarter of the Koslovic force, and compelling the survivors to withdraw in less than twenty minutes. The UNSA battle fleet subsequently took position over the Argyre Planitia, and launched the first-ever orbital strike on a terrestrial target; forces already present on the ground followed the strike with a conventional invasion of the Planitia. Lasting for five days, the ground engagement ultimately resulted in victory for the United Nations. Background In the several months between the conclusion of the lethal and extensive Rain Forest Wars and the battle of Mars, each major faction had consolidated its forces across the system, with minor skirmishes and offensives taking place, mostly throughout the Belt. 2163 saw a major buildup of naval forces, with both the Friedensbewegung and Koslovics significantly increasing their respective destroyer fleets, and the UNSA commissioning the first cruiser, as well as refitting several of its older ships. Space battle Engagement The battle fleet of the United Nations arrived at Mars on December 6, and moved to engage the Koslvoic Second Fleet immediately. The ships of the UNSA fleet were fitted with the newly introduced RSM-3 missile, which vastly out-ranged the previous standard missile, the RSM-2, a fact not widely known at the time. As a result, the UNSA fleet opened fire far sooner than the Koslovics expected, catching the Second Fleet ill-prepared. While point defenses did diminish the number of inbound missiles, and emergency maneuvers allowed some ships to escapeWhile some warships and auxiliaries did avoid missile hits, several collisions resulted from the chaotic nature of sudden and panicky maneuvering., losses were still high: Rapid and Knowledgeable destroyed outright, Pitchfork holed on the port side, and Wrathful falling into the Martian atmosphere, the result of a desperate but unsuccessful evasion. In addition, eleven other destroyers took varying degrees of damage. Realizing that Second Fleet was terribly outmatched, Vice Admiral Voronin issued orders to withdraw from Mars with all speed; while he saw no way to withdraw safely, refusing to do so would provide no advantages against a second, potentially lethal, missile attack. As Second attempted to disengage, one of Third Division's warships disobeyed orders and made all speed for the flagship of the approaching enemy fleet; the Proud rapidly closed with the Expeditious and fired all three of its missiles at the larger vessel. Two other Koslovic warships followed the Proud in its all-out counter-attack - the Merciless and the damaged Pitchfork - and engaged UNSA ships, firing all available missiles. All three Koslovic destroyers were quickly overwhelmed and utterly destroyed by UNSA forces, ultimately inflicting no damage upon any vessel of the battle fleet. However, the dramatic and vain attack bought enough time for the remaining ships of the Koslovic Second Fleet to withdraw from the battle, preventing a complete route and loss of those ships. With the Koslovic Second Fleet no longer capable of intervening, the ships of the UNSA battle fleet took up orbital positions over the Argyre Planitia. The next phase of the Battle of Mars would take place on the surface, with UN forces engaging the Koslovics on the ground. Order of battle Ships lost in action are indicated by †', while ships that took damage but survived are indicated by '‡. United Nations United Nations Space Authority Battle Fleet Cruiser Division 1 *[[UNSC Expeditious (C-1)|UNSA Expeditious (C-1)]] - fleet flagship; Admiral Matthias Ward Destroyer Division 1 *[[UNSC Enterprise (D-1)|UNSA Enterprise (D-1)]] *[[UNSC Birmingham (D-22)|UNSA Birmingham (D-22)]] *[[UNSC Sacramento (D-25)|UNSA Sacramento (D-25)]] *[[UNSC Verdun (D-27)|UNSA Verdun (D-27)]] *[[UNSC Vladivostok (D-34)|UNSA Vladivostok (D-34)]] *[[UNSC Bergen (D-38)|UNSA Bergen (D-38)]] *[[UNSC Karachi (D-39)|UNSA Karachi (D-39)]] Destroyer Division 4 *[[UNSC Triumph (D-4)|UNSA Triumph (D-4)]] *[[UNSC Shanghai (D-23)|UNSA Shanghai (D-23)]] *[[UNSC Saint Petersburg (D-24)|UNSA Saint Petersburg (D-24)]] *[[UNSC Montreal (D-32)|UNSA Montreal (D-32)]] *[[UNSC Naples (D-36)|UNSA Naples (D-36)]] *[[UNSC Quezon City (D-37)|UNSA Quezon City (D-37)]] *[[UNSC Auckland (D-40)|UNSA Auckland (D-40)]] Destroyer Division 5 *[[UNSC Endeavor (D-5)|UNSA Endeavor (D-5)]] *[[UNSC Pusan (D-7)|UNSA Pusan (D-7)]] *[[UNSC Hiroshima (D-8)|UNSA Hiroshima (D-8)]] *[[UNSC Johannesburg (D-10)|UNSA Johannesburg (D-10)]] *[[UNSC Alexandria (D-26)|UNSA Alexandria (D-26)]] *[[UNSC Sydney (D-30)|UNSA Sydney (D-30)]] *[[UNSC Rotterdam (D-33)|UNSA Rotterdam (D-33)]] *[[UNSC Córdoba (D-35)|UNSA Córdoba (D-35)]] Koslovic People's Republic :Koslovic Second Fleet Third Division *''Hammer'' (D30] ‡ *''Proud'' (D5) † *''Fast'' (D11) ‡ *''Forceful'' (D28) ‡ *''Sickle'' (D31) ‡ - fleet flagship; Vice Admiral Mikhail Voronin Fourth Division *''Plow'' (D37) *''Rapid'' (D4) † *''Knowledgeable'' (D10) † *''Ardent'' (D15) ‡ *''Pitchfork'' (D36) † Sixth Division *''Torch'' (D40)] ‡ *''Red Star'' (D2) ‡ *''Persistent'' (D9) ‡ *''Challenging'' (D17) ‡ *''Aware'' (D20) ‡ Seventh Division *''Resourceful'' (D18) *''Fiery'' (D8) ‡ *''Fearless'' (D13) *''Wrathful'' (D22) † *''Furious'' (D24) *''Merciless'' (D27) † Notes References